Charles Chaplin Biography

Fast Facts

• Due to the persisting popularity of his "Little Tramp" character, he is often considered to be the most iconic actor of the silent film era
• Along with Ingmar Bergman, was honored with receiving a joint Erasmus Prize in 1965
• In the New Year Honours of 1975, he was appointed as a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
• As of 2013, six of Chaplin's films have been selected to preserve in the National Film Registry
• Ranked No․ 10 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years․․․ 100 Stars" list for Male Legends
• Awarded honorary Doctor of Letters degrees by both the University of Durham and the University of Oxford in 1962
• From his first wife, Mildred Harris, and onward, he maintained a trend of marrying women who were much younger than him
• Quote: "Failure is unimportant․ It takes courage to make a fool of yourself․"
• A talented musician, he reissued his own films from the silent era with scores composed by him
• Many of his film choices' plots featured comedic events which served to underscore or ironically highlight matters of social justice, a reflection of his own political beliefs
• There are statues commemorating Chaplin across the world, including locations in the Czech Republic, Poland, Ireland, India, Italy and Switzerland
• Portrayed by Robert Downey, Jr․, in the 1992 biographical film "Chaplin․"
• A persisting legend surrouding Chaplin maintained that he once entered a Chaplin look-a-like contest, but lost